I Can't Do This without Him
by JaraandEzriaLoverr
Summary: Danny gets hurt because Steve refused to wait for back up and now Steve feels he has to face his feelings after nearly losing his Danno
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi people so I have never written for H50 but I thought I'd give it a go seeing as I am obsessed with the show so ENJOY! And REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!

I Can't Do This without Him

"Steve, we really should be waiting for back up," Danny told his crazy, psychotic partner as they got out of the Camaro.

"We wait for back up and that son of a bitch gets away!" Steve argued his point and Danny resigned himself to going in there as back up himself, into the mansion that belonged to a twisted businessman who had been killing young girls across Oahu. They got in through the back door and split up to search the property for their perp, Danny walked down a small corridor and opened a door that lead to the basement. Shining a flashlight down the stairs, he determined the room to be clear, satisfied with that room he turned around to continue but before he could even register what had happened a knife was plunged into his lower abdomen. The impact of the knife sent him flying down the stairs to the basement but not before he grabbed a hold of the business man bringing him down with him, they landed in a bruised heap at the bottom which is when the bastard managed to grab a dazed Danny's gun, pointing at the fallen detective as he tried to put pressure on his wound to stop it bleeding so much.

"You shouldn't have come here Detective, now I'm going to kill you like I did those girls," the crazed man sneered at Danny who was rather frightened by the words, this was unusual for him but then he was usually the one holding his gun when faced with criminals and he usually had Steve by his side.

"Oh so you're admitting it, well at least you can cross liar off your résumé when you get out of Halawa," Danny spat sarcastically using his only remaining defence but unfortunately it only angered the man even further. The blood was quickly seeping out of the hole in Danny's stomach and his vision was beginning to blur so when he heard the gunshot he expected to be dead within a second with a shot to the head but no, he felt the bullet rip through his shoulder making him let out a cry of pain.

Steve had made his way up to the first floor of the property when he heard the gunshot and the cry of pain that he recognised to be Danny's.

"Danny?" he called out, he was stood still listening out for any sound that could indicate where his partner might be. After receiving no response he immediately thought the worst, "oh God," he whispered before racing back to where he'd last seen Danny and then heading in the direction his partner went.

"You son of a bitch, if you're gonna kill me then get it over with!" Danny groaned, he now had two places that he was bleeding out of.

"You really don't know when to shut up, do you detective?" the murderer snorted before lifting the gun up to point at Danny's head but luckily Steve appeared just in time to stick a bullet in the back of his head, saving Danny from the same fate before he ran down to Danny's side.

"This is why we wait for back up," Danny whispered as his eyes fluttered closed, Steve was sat by his partner's side with wide eyes at his best friend's state.

"No, no Danny, come on open your eyes! You need to open your eyes and talk to me ok, help's on its way!" Steve told his partner before calling for help. Danny's eyes stayed stubbornly closed whilst Steve was on the phone and this worried the SEAL because he didn't like to see his friend in a state that left him motionless and not ranting. "Come on Danno, I need you to tell me exactly what happened so I can finish the paperwork," Steve told the detective and as trivial as it sounded in their current predicament it made perfect sense to the SEAL. Steve was relieved when Danny let out a sigh as he came back to consciousness, opening his eyes to slits so he could just about see Steve, "what happened Danno?"

"I cleared the basement and turned around… he stabbed me and we… we both fell down the stairs… he got hold of my gun and sh… shot me," Danny explained, losing his breath very quickly and as he finished the explanation he began coughing and to Steve's horror he was spluttering up blood. As soon as Steve began panicking EMT's were descending the stairs and taking over.

"Steve?" Kono called as she and Chin entered the basement to a highly distressed Steve watching as the EMT's worked on Danny, suddenly one of them said something that no one wanted to hear.

"He's not breathing, I can't find a pulse!" the voice spoke before beginning CPR to bring the man back to life.

"No you have to save him, you can't let him die!" Steve yelled and was held back from interfering as Chin wrapped his arms around him.

"Steve calm down and let them do their job," Chin soothed and it seemed to work because the distraught man calmed down, twenty minutes later the CPR had done nothing to help Danny and just as the paramedics were about to call it and Steve was finally letting his tears fall the fallen officer gasped in a big gulp of air and they jumped back to work.

"Oh thank God!" Steve sighed and wiped his tears; he rode with his friend in the ambulance but was left in the waiting room as they wheeled him into surgery.

Kono sat with her hands clasped together, elbows on knees; Chin sat with a nervous knee bobbing up and down but Steve couldn't sit still – one minute he was sat down with his head in his hands, then he was pacing with his hands grasping at his short hair and then he was wringing the life out of them whilst stepping from side to side, moving in very small circles.

"Steve, would you sit down please? You're making me dizzy," Chin scolded his boss who stopped for a second before resuming his nervous pacing.

"Seriously, you're gonna wear a hole in the floor," Kono snapped, she felt like he thought he was the only one worried about Danny.

"I can't sit still until I know that my partner isn't dead because I'm a stubborn idiot who couldn't wait for the stupid back up," Steve shot back at the young woman who flinched at the Commander's tone and anger.

"Calm down Steve, whatever happens it is not your fault! You can't take the world on your shoulders just because it's easier to face the guilt than the grief," Chin explained, stepping up to Steve as a way of showing him they were on the same level.

"Right, sorry. Sorry Kono," Steve immediately apologised, Kono nodded her acceptance and the three of them went back to waiting silently until five minutes later Steve broke the silence, "what do I tell Gracie if the worst happens?"

"Don't even think about that, he's going to be fine," Chin assured the task force leader who had stopped pacing and was looking at them desperately.

"Chin he died back there so there is a possibility he won't make it so what do I tell Gracie? And his parents, do I fly out there and tell them in person? Wait stupid question of course Ii do and maybe Grace can fly out with me to see her grandparents," Steve rambled.

"Steve, will you stop talking as if he's already dead!" Kono snapped angrily, she knew if that did happen then it would hit Steve the hardest but it hadn't so she needed him to shut the hell up. The SEAL stuttered for a few moments before dropping his head to look at the floor as he felt tears begin to leak from his eyes, "hey I'm sorry, I know you're worried," she apologised and moved to stand right in front of him.

"I'm not worried, I'm scared to death of losing him," Steve revealed, he'd never had such a strong bond with anyone in his life not even Catherine and he was supposed to be in love with her.

"We get it Steve, we're scared too," Chin revealed in an attempt to calm the younger man down but it only worked to rile him up even more.

"No Chin you don't get it! I don't think I can do any of this without him, if it weren't for him being my best friend and partner since Five-0 started then let's be honest I'd likely be dead! He keeps me going ok, I get myself into really stupid situations and he gets me out alive. I can't do this without him because I don't have anyone else," Steve explained and he saw the hurt in the cousins faces when they weren't on his list of people to keep him going but he was too worried to care about hurting people's feelings. "Look I'm sorry… well no, actually I'm not. Danny's my best friend and my rock and I need him."

"You have us as well Steve," Kono whispered failing to keep her disbelief from her voice as Chin stared, mouth agape. They were stunned not only by their iron boss showing his emotions and crying so openly but also by the fact he was so quick to show just how much he favoured Danny over the pair of them but before anyone had a chance to speak any further a doctor came over to inform them of Danny's condition, he was stable and if they were to follow him then they could see him.

"He should be waking up in the next half hour so it would be nice for him to have a few familiar faces surrounding him," he told them and all three agreed before following. Once inside the room they all took a seat and sat in silence, Steve staring intently at Danny whilst the native's shared knowing looks with one another.

"I'm really sorry for what I implied back there, I was worried and afraid and exhausted and none of that mixes well," Steve broke the silence, apologising because he could now think clearly without any doubt of his partner's survival when a sudden thought hit him, "oh shit I haven't called Rachel," he breathed.

"It's alright brah, I called her on our way over here and she said she wouldn't tell Grace until we knew more on his condition," Chin revealed and Steve sighed thankfully, sending Chin a grateful smile.

"I'll call and update her then," Steve began to stand up when Kono stood quickly, holding a hand out at him.

"I can do that, you just stay here in case he wakes up," she said and he did exactly that whilst Kono and her cousin left the room, Steve was in complete silence when he heard a groggy groan come from the detective.


	2. Chapter 2

I Can't Do This without Him

"Danny, you with me?" Steve asked as he took his best friends' hand in both of his, rubbing his thumb over the back of it. Danny's eyes fluttered open and met Steve's "hey Danno," the Navy SEAL smiled widely.

"Hey, hospital… of course, why don't we just move in?" Danny questioned, making Steve chuckle as he continued to stroke Danny's hand. He had a niggling feeling in the back of his mind as his thumb glided over his partner's skin, the feeling that Danny's hand felt so right held within his own – a little too right.

"Yeah, it's my fault that you're in here so I'm sorry. I'm the idiot that didn't wait for back up and yet you're the one paying for it," Steve spoke with a tone full of regret, shaking his head at his own insufferable behaviour.

"Same as always then? You don't listen to me and then I end up in hospital," Danny said sarcastically in his usual jokey manner but then he saw Steve's face fall into a frown and immediately regretted his choice of words, "it wasn't your fault babe, it was that psycho's. You didn't know that he would be able to incapacitate me in the basement and get my gun, don't go feeling guilty because it wasn't your fault," Danny explained, squeezing Steve's hand that was still gripping his firmly so he could show him how sincere he was being.

"But you always tell me to wait for back up and I never listen to you, why do I never listen?" Steve replied so Danny again tightened his grip on the SEAL's hand as he saw the stray tear escape his eye.

"Love you babe," Danny commented because he knew he'd be wasting his breath continuing to convince Steve that it wasn't his fault so instead he let him know that he didn't blame him whatsoever, even if he blamed himself.

"Love you too, thank God you're ok," Steve exclaimed thankfully, pulling both of his hands down across his face.

"Where's my monkey?" Danny asked, his mind had been so full up with Steve in the short time since he had woken that his young daughter had momentarily slipped his mind.

"Kono went to update Rachel about your condition about twenty minutes ago so no doubt they will be here soon," Steve announced, he smiled and so did Danny when the SEAL took his hand again. The two ladies were very quick in getting there to visit and came in to the pair of them still holding hands and Steve was very reluctant to let it go for fear of losing him.

"Danno!" Grace exclaimed happily when she saw her father awake and smiling, she was about to launch herself on him but caught herself just in time before hugging him softly.

"Hey monkey," Danny replied just as happily but a little weaker than her, Steve watched him intently for any signs of discomfort or pain. Rachel saw the look in his eyes and recognised it as the same look she used to give Danny after he had been injured back in New Jersey. Steve just continued to watch Danny as he chatted with his twelve year old daughter; he decided it best he give them some privacy so he walked to Rachel, giving them a little space as they both stepped out of the room.

"You really care about him don't you?" Rachel uttered before Steve even had a chance to compose himself enough to look at her without the lingering tears in his eyes.

"What kind of question is that? Of course I do, he's my best friend," Steve looked at his mate's ex-wife incredulously.

"I know but that's not how I meant, I saw how you were looking at him Steve – I used to look at him the exact same way," Rachel explained softly, she wanted to make sure that he knew that she passed no judgement on how he felt for the father of her child. The woman might have felt differently if it weren't for how much she knew he loved Grace and how much the little girl loved her 'Super SEAL'.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Rachel; he's my friend, my partner, nothing more," Steve told her and it was true, his feelings may run a little deeper than friendship but he was certain that Danny did not and would not reciprocate these feelings. Steve had seen Danny in relationships with women so he was obviously straight whereas he, himself, had never held a stable relationship – the closest he'd got was Catherine and that was 'friends with benefits' for when she was in port and needed a release.

"Look Steve I know that you're afraid that if you let Danny know about your feelings then he will reject you but he might surprise you. Grace has always told me that the way he talks about you shows how much he loves you and that the two of you remind her of me and him before we divorced so maybe you should have some faith in him and tell him," Rachel described to him, "Grace loves you, you know and I think she'd be thrilled."

"I know that you're just trying to help but I don't think I can do it, I can't risk losing him. If I tell him and he doesn't feel the same then I would be putting him in such a bad position and I will not do that to him," Steve responded to her words of encouragement.

"I am almost positive that he feels the same way about you; I've seen the two of you together, he loves you a lot and I would bet my bottom dollar that he loves you way more than a friend would," Rachel revealed just as Chin and Kono approached them.

"Did I just hear the word love?" Kono asked as she sipped her coffee as she handed one to Steve and sent an apologetic look Rachel's way.

"You did indeed," Rachel said, she wasn't going to reveal the context of the word as she wouldn't betray Steve like that, not on such a fragile subject but she wouldn't deny the use of the word and then she watched the cousins closely for any sign that they knew the way the partner's felt about each other.

"How's Grace?" Chin asked, he didn't particularly want to start a conversation about his boss hiding from his feelings.

"She was a little upset that I didn't tell her as soon as I found out that he was here but she was happy that got to come and see him straight away," Rachel described and the three team member's hummed in understanding.

"Very mature that girl, for a twelve year old," Steve mused as he watched her interact with her father from the corridor through the window in the hospital room door.

"She has a very good role model in Danny," Rachel said with a fond smile on her face, after everything that happened with the custody battle for Grace, she and her ex-husband were on much better terms with one another, "I don't know what Grace would do without him," Rachel said and the words hit Steve hard and he choked on a sob at the thought of Danny dying.

"I'm going for a walk," he told them and took off down the hall before anyone could ask if he was ok or protest his decision. Kono looked at Chin before he made after Steve while she and Rachel entered the hospital room.

"Hey Danny, it's good to see you awake," Kono greeted her teammate and Danny smiled at her with Grace laying by his side; the side with the stab wound because then at least she could lean her head on his shoulder. Danny was still smiling until he realised that Steve had not re-entered the room with the two women.

"Where's Steve?" he asked, frowning at Kono and Rachel, Grace looked at him and it made her sad to see her Danno sad which made her a little mad at Steve for making him upset.

"He went for a walk," Kono answered her 'other boss' with a sympathetic smile whilst Rachel observed the look in his eyes – confirming her belief that he reciprocated Steve's feelings.

"Oh," Danny uttered in disappointment at Steve not being back by his side, the single word barely audible.

"Do you want me to go and find Uncle Steve and bring him back, Danno? I can find him if you want him to be here with you," Grace told her father, she sense that he wanted his partner and she wanted to make him feel better.

"Nom don't worry monkey, you stay here and I'll be perfectly fine without Steve," Danny smiled at his little girl who smiled back and snuggled back into his shoulder. Meanwhile Chin had caught up to Steve at the entrance to the hospital by the lobby just as he was exiting it.

"Hey, Steve, where're you going?" Chin asked as he fell into step with the Navy SEAL and five-0 team leader as they stepped into the blazing afternoon Hawaiian sun.

"I need some air and I thought it best to give Danny some time with Gracie, she could have lost her father today and all because I'm an impatient bastard who couldn't wait for back up like he told me to. Hell like he always does! Why don't I ever listen to him? Yet he still comes in with me every single damn time, he sticks with me when I continuously put him in danger and risk Gracie losing her father," Steve explained to his friend as they sat on a bench.

"This isn't your fault Steve, you're not the one who attacked him," Chin told the Commander but he wasn't convinced and shook his head indicating his disbelief, "he sticks with you because he loves you Steve and I know you know that I mean like more than a friend so you need to get in there and tell him how you feel. One day it might actually be too late," Chin explained and he was shocked as it seemed that the only person oblivious to his feelings was the object of them – Danny.

"How did you know?" Steve whispered, "about how I feel I mean," he clarified but wasn't looking at Chin for fear of being judged.

"Because I see in the two of you what I had with Malia, I would have done anything for her and you would do anything for Danny," Chin answered truthfully.

"You sound like Rachel, she said I was looking at Danny how she used to when they were still married," Steve said with slight smirk.

"Seriously Steve, get back in there and tell that New Jersey Detective how much you really love him!" Chin exclaimed, clapping a hand on Steve's shoulder who immediately stood up and made his way back into the hospital.

"Danno, are you sure you're ok? Are you sure that you don't want me to go and find Uncle Steve and tell him that he's upset you?" Grace asked her dad who hadn't said a word since the last time she offered to go and find the crazy SEAL.

"There's no need Gracie, I'm right here," Steve said, having entered the room silently and heard the girl's words.

"Uncle Steve!" Grace yelled and ran to hug him before promptly thumping him in the stomach with her fist.

"Ow, what was that for?" Steve questioned, slightly winded from the sudden, unexpected impact from the small twelve year old girl.

"You've hurt my Danno's feelings so say sorry!" she demanded in an angry voice, pointing at the detective with a stern look on her face.

"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings Danno," Steve said looking him in the eyes as he tried to convey all the love he felt towards him in a simple look, "actually could I just have a minute alone with Danny? I need to talk to him," he asked looking from Grace to Rachel to Kono and they all nodded before leaving.

"Hey babe, you ok?" Danny asked when he saw the somewhat glum expression on his face as he continued looking at him.

"Yeah I'm fine, I should be asking you that – you're the one in a hospital bed," Steve replied, sitting down in his original place in the chair beside the bed.

"I'm fine," Danny responded, he knew that something was bothering Steve but it didn't look like he was about divulge anytime soon, "are you gonna tell what's going through your head or what?"

"I want to and I have wanted to for a long time, I'm just not sure how you'll react," Steve responded to his friend, he was terrified of how he'll react but he wasn't about to admit that.

"Come on then, spit it out," Danny instructed, he wanted to theorise about what had his partner so worried about his reaction but then he didn't want to get his hopes up only for them to be dashed just seconds later.

"I… I love you Danno, like really love you… way more than I should," Steve finally confessed and Danny's breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat which had his heart monitor going crazy, prompting a nurse to come rushing in.

"Is everything ok?" she asked, looking frantically at the detective who nodded at her with an apologetic smile for worrying her and she graciously left but not before sending a glare Steve's way for exciting Danny too much.

"Are you gonna say something? I just told you that I love you way more than a friend should and you're just sitting there, are you laughing at me because I'm in love with you and you don't feel the same?" Steve ranted in the usual Danny way.

"I'm not laughing at you babe, come here," Danny told him and Steve narrowed his eyes at him in suspicion but did as asked, edging closer to his partner until he snaked his hand around the back of his neck and pulled him against his lips. They barely moved but Steve felt the electric of their lips being connected, slowly they began to move against each other and Danny cupped Steve's face in his hands whilst Steve kept himself steady with his hands on the bed either side of his partner.

"What was that for?" Steve whispered when they parted, barely inches apart and both with their eyes still closed.

"To stop you babbling," Danny smiled, finally opening his eyes as he stroked his thumbs across the skin just below Steve's ears.

"So… where do we go from here?" Steve asked quietly, he was almost afraid of shattering their peace if he spoke too loudly.

"Well first off, I love you too and second, I don't know because isn't there a rule against relationships between partners?" Danny asked, the pair of them breaking apart completely with Steve sat closely in the plastic chair.

"Yeah but I make the rules for five-0 so that one can be erased," Steve smirked and Danny smiled, the Commander took Danny's hand in his as Grace came barging into the room.

"Am I allowed back in now? Mommy and Auntie Kono were telling me that you needed time to talk alone," Grace babbled, "what did you talk about? You're not breaking up, are you?" she asked cautiously.

"What do you mean breaking up?" Danny asked the young girl as the two women observed amused by the young Williams' use of words.

"You know like what happened between you and mommy before we came here," Grace answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world when she caught sight of their intertwined hands, "clearly you haven't."

"Wait, are you saying that you have been assuming that we're in a relationship like when you're parents were married?" Steve asked her for clarification and she just nodded matter-of-factly, Danny and Steve just looked at each other whilst the other adults began chuckling.

"I guess we can avoid that awkward conversation to tell Grace then," Danny mumbled to Steve.

"Wait, are you saying that you weren't already in a relationship?" Grace said, mocking Steve with a sly smile.

"No we were not Grace but we are glad that you're accepting of this," Danny told his daughter and she promptly stepped up to their hands and held them both in hers.

"I love you Danno and I love Steve and if you two love each other and want to make each other happy then I'm happy," Grace explained.

"Are you sure you're only twelve?" Danny loved her maturity and grinned at Steve when he saw how happy her comment had made him. Rachel, Chin and Kono observed the scene fondly of their two bosses finally admitting their feelings for each other and Grace being so mature – they stayed for about an hour before leaving the new couple to have some privacy.

"I love you," Danny told the SEAL as he gave his hand a little squeeze.

"I love you too Danno."

Fin.


End file.
